Chapter 44 - Marina
1116 Words
Marina's eyes swept around the office, confusion immediately crossing her face.
Elara couldn't blame her.
The whole setup felt like an interrogation.
Her father sat in a chair off to the side instead of standing beside the rest of leadership, and judging by the way Marina paused near the door, she noticed it too.
"Dad?"
Marder didn't answer.
In fact, he refused to look at her.
A knot tightened in Elara's stomach.
Marina stared at her father. She clasped her hands together on her lap until her knuckles turned white.
"What happened?" she asked, uncertainty creeping into her voice.
Thorne remained seated behind the desk.
"We know you've been speaking with the council."
Marina blinked, genuine confusion replacing her unease.
"What?"
"You've had contact with council members."
"Yes."
The answer came so quickly that several people exchanged looks.
Marina frowned.
"Why wouldn't I?"
The question appeared completely sincere.
"I've spoken to council members before."
Her attention shifted briefly to Marder.
"He knows that."
The Head Warrior remained silent.
The uncertainty on Marina's face deepened.
"Dad?"
Still nothing.
Marina looked genuinely uncomfortable.
"How often do you speak with them?" Thorne asked.
Marina hesitated.
She didn't look worried about answering.
If anything, she seemed confused by the question itself.
"I don't know."
She shrugged.
"Whenever I have a reason to."
Elara studied her carefully.
There was no defensiveness in Marina's posture and no attempt to hide anything.
She answered every question openly, which somehow made the conversation even more unsettling.
"Why?" Thorne asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Why speak to them at all?"
Marina stared at him for several seconds before shaking her head.
The question genuinely seemed to confuse her.
"Because someone had to."
The statement drew a slight frown from Rowan.
Marina pressed on.
"Asking for help isn't a crime."
Her gaze moved around the room.
"The pack was struggling. Everyone knew it."
This time she looked directly at her father.
"Dad was carrying half the territory on his shoulders."
Then Rowan.
"Leadership was constantly dealing with shortages."
Finally Thorne.
"And you were trying to keep everything together."
Marina straightened in her chair.
"I cared about this pack."
There wasn't a hint of apology in her voice.
Only conviction.
"I still do."
Elara felt something twist uncomfortably in her chest.
Marina believed every word she was saying.
"Speaking to the council seemed like the responsible thing to do."
Her brow furrowed.
"They were supposed to help."
She looked directly at Thorne.
"I thought I was helping too."
The words lingered in the room.
Then Thorne stood.
The movement was sudden enough to make Marina flinch.
Even Marder straightened slightly.
Elara felt the shift through the bond immediately.
The frustration she'd sensed throughout the questioning finally surfaced.
It settled over the room like a storm gathering strength.
Thorne's anger wasn't explosive.
It was controlled.
Measured.
Far more dangerous.
"You thought you were helping?"
Marina swallowed.
"Alpha—"
"No."
The single word cut through the room.
"You discussed pack matters with the council."
"I was trying to—"
"You gave outsiders information that never should have left this territory."
His voice remained calm.
That somehow made the accusation worse.
"They knew about our financial situation."
The color drained from Marina's face.
"They knew about internal matters."
Thorne took a step forward.
"They knew enough to use my pack's struggles against me."
Marina stared at him as shock slowly replaced the confusion she had carried into the room.
The confidence she arrived with seemed to disappear piece by piece.
For the first time, she looked uncertain.
"I didn't know."
"That's the problem."
For the first time, his voice rose.
"You didn't know."
The weight of those words settled heavily across the office.
"You never stopped to ask why they wanted that information."
Marina searched for a response but seemed unable to find one.
"You never considered there might be a reason those conversations were supposed to stay inside this territory."
Her eyes dropped to the floor.
"I was trying to help."
The protest sounded far weaker than before.
Thorne let out a short humorless laugh.
"Help?"
The disbelief in that single word made Elara wince.
"You helped give the council exactly what they needed to interfere in Draegon's affairs."
Marina looked up sharply.
"I care about this pack."
"So do I."
The response came immediately.
"You think you're the only wolf who cared?"
Marina's jaw tightened.
"I thought—"
She stopped.
Too late.
Thorne's eyes narrowed.
"You thought what?"
Marina hesitated.
Then lifted her chin.
"I thought I would be Luna one day."
No one looked surprised.
Everyone already knew Marina had imagined a future beside Thorne.
She had never been particularly subtle about it.
A muscle worked in Rafe's jaw.
Kaia rubbed a hand across her forehead.
Even Marder looked uncomfortable hearing the words spoken aloud.
Thorne's stare never wavered.
Whatever patience he had been holding onto disappeared entirely.
"And that gave you the right to make decisions for this pack?"
Marina blinked.
"What?"
"You contacted the council."
His voice had gone dangerously calm.
"You discussed matters that should have remained inside this territory."
"I was trying to help."
"You keep saying that."
The words cracked through the room.
Marina flinched.
"I was."
Thorne took another step forward.
"No."
The single word landed like a blow.
"You decided you knew what was best for Draegon."
"I care about Draegon."
"So did every wolf in this room."
Marina opened her mouth before closing it again.
Frustration flashed across her face.
"You don't understand."
For the first time since entering the office, genuine emotion broke through her confidence.
"I watched this pack struggle."
She looked toward Marder.
"I watched my father work himself to exhaustion."
Then Rowan.
"I watched leadership stretch every resource we had."
Finally her attention settled on Thorne.
"And I watched you carry all of it."
Elara shifted slightly in her chair.
The conviction in Marina's voice made it difficult to dismiss her entirely.
"I couldn't just do nothing."
Thorne laughed again.
The sound held no amusement.
"You should have come to me."
Marina frowned.
"I was trying to help you."
The anger that had simmered beneath his control finally surfaced.
"I never asked for your help."
Marina recoiled.
"You went behind my back."
His eyes locked onto hers.
"You spoke to outsiders about pack matters."
His voice lowered.
"And every piece of information you handed over gave the council another way to manipulate Draegon."
The color drained from Marina's face.
Doubt crept into her expression as the reality of the situation finally began to settle in.
"I didn't know."
"That is the point, isn't it?"
Thorne's expression hardened.
"That's what makes this worse."
- Writer
